She Wasn't Weak
by MidnightAsphyxiation
Summary: Neji used to protect Tenten because she was weak. He forgets when that reason began to change. He won't admit that the reason's changed either.
1. Chapter 1

**She's Not Weak**

* * *

The first time Neji meets his teammates, he scoffs. Lee is annoying and loud with very little potential. He wonders _how_ , a person unable to wield neither ninjutsu nor genjutsu – so disturbingly incompetent – was able to pass the academy exams at all. Tenten, in her unsightly feminine pink tops is simply a _disturbance_ , and he's sure he's seen her giggling away with some of the girls on the topic of boys. Neji doubts that Tenten would ever be able to five laps around Konoha.

He just knows he's not going to have anyone to train with and is already planning out a training schedule in his plan during their obligatory introductions and scoffs at her comment.

It's not in her destiny to become a legendary person like Tsunade-sama.

* * *

Neji doesn't blink when Tenten hits all ten bullseyes with a flick of her wrist. The senbons each had hit dead centre and he simply folded his arms as Gai and Lee prance around, singing her praises.

Weaponry is _basic_ ninja skills and not being able to hit your target when you want to where you want to is suicide in the world of shinobi.

When they finally take an escort mission, it is he and Lee who engages the opponents when Gai-sensei has been lured away while Tenten lingers with the client, while Neji and Lee protect the two.

He's sealing his opponent's tenketsus when he hears a clash of steel too close for comfort behind him. He turns, wary of the kunai that had just missed his back. He hadn't sensed it coming, hadn't heard the whistle of the blade in the air and he won't admit it but he hadn't seen the kunai flash in his almost perfect 360 vision either.

He turns towards where Tenten and the client are, where she is regarding him with an intrigued look. Her eyes widen as she yells his name and he turns around, his opponent having gotten up and charging at him with a kunai.

He prepares for a stab wound. The pain will be bearable and this is what he deserves for being so distracted on such a mission.

Before the blade reaches him, his opponent yelps as a kunai embeds into his shoulder. His opponent jerks back in shock and pain and within the next second, before Neji can move, a second kunai has sunk deep into the opponent's throat.

Something in his stomach shifts and when he turns, Lee's opponent is pinned to the trunk of a tree, kunai sticking out from an eye, blood pouring out in a small stream

Gai-sensei, who had returned nods in approval.

'Your teamwork is approving, my energetic and youthful flowers!'

Neji doesn't miss the glance Gai-sensei casts at Tenten, nor when he disappears with Tenten for a while during their break.

The rest of the mission is completed in silence and although it is Neji and Lee with the literal blood stains on their skin and clothes, it is Tenten who suddenly has blood on her hands.

* * *

Tenten is the first to kill on their team and after they return to Konoha, she leaves the minute they are dismissed and doesn't come to training for two days.

On the third day, she's returned and she throws herself into Gai's training regime. She's the last one but she pushes herself to keep up and run just as many laps as the rest of the team does. She refuses Gai-sensei's offer of completing less push ups and even when she _can't_ do anymore chin-ups while the rest of the men count, she stays in the position, refusing to let go and give up.

She's determined and he finds he has a certain respect for that.

* * *

'Mou, Neji, are you sure we graduated from the same Academy?'

She demands with her hands on her hips after training one day, her eyes furrowed in disbelief as she caught sight of his weapons.

'You need to clean your weapons and _sharpen_ them, for Kami's sake, don't you know that if you don't take care of your weapons, they'll dull and the balance will be all long and the wind-resistance against the blade will increase proportionately to how much heavier and less air-resistance the blade becomes, so when you throw them there's more chances for error and they become slower as well? Mou, see, this? This is what your kunais _should_ look like.'

She explains to him as she pulls out a weapon from her holster, the dark metal gleaming in the last rays of sunset, balanced perfectly on one finger.

'When you get home, make sure you take care of your weapons, ok?'

She turns to leave and stops.

'Oh! And also, if you're going to insist on wielding a kantana, even if it's in a fight with Lee, make sure your wrist is more fluid next time and that widen your stance more when you thrust, for Kami's sake.'

He watches as she then turns to leave, a wave outstretched on her hand as she goes home and stands there, digesting her words. It takes him a minute to realise that she's just _scolded_ him for being an incompetent shinobi.

 _She has guts_ he thinks. Maybe, she's not that useless after all.

* * *

Neji allows the corner of his lips to move up into a tiny smirk as he eats another slice of fish. The fish's demise had come purely by accident at Tenten's failed attempt to learn medical nin-jutsu to try and emulate Tsunade-sama. Gai-sensei is consoling Tenten while Neji simply takes another piece of fish. Personally, he doesn't she Tenten has a medical ninja.

Tenten is impulsive and rash and fierce. Tenten's hands weren't made to rub ointment to treat patients and pump chakra into an injured person's body. Tenten's calloused hands were made to slide against cold steel and to cut into flesh. Tenten is a fighter, not a healer.

The fish is delicious and he thinks, that the fish had actually been put to better use as food than as a practice animal.

* * *

Neji is walking back home when he hears a bartender shout and there is a scuffle before something brown and pink is thrown out. He blinks and is about to continue on his way when the absolute feline gesture catches his eye and he blinks.

 _Tenten?_

He finds that he's not annoyed and even slightly curious and then follows her, willing to delay and reduce his nightly meditation time to watch her enter into bars and casinos as she even tries to imitate Tsunade-sama's… less favourable traits.

The next day, Neji sits in their usual meeting place when Gai-sensei summons his turtle and watches the slight debate as Tenten asks for _slugs._ He wasn't partial to turtles but somehow, he can't see Tenten summoning something so conspicuous and as slow as a slug.

He quirks his lips the day he sees Tenten sitting on Gai-sensei's feet, after defeating Gai-sensei, blushing as they walk around Konoha,

It's not in her destiny to become like Tsunade-sama. But it's not in her destiny to be weak either.

* * *

On their next mission, it is still he and Lee in front, making sure that Tenten won't be hit with the first wave of attacks. Tenten silently follows their lead.

When they engage in another battle, this time he notices Tenten standing where his back is, glancing occasionally at his back.

 _She knows_. He thinks. Or at least, she suspects because she used to always watch Lee's back, giving Neji his own space, knowing that he could see everything with his Byakugan. But since that incident a few months ago, _her first kill_ , she's started guarding his back too.

* * *

Tenten soars into the air, feet above her head as she twirls and he wonders how on earth she is still in the air as the scrolls dance around her.

Neji's eyes widen for a fraction of a second as cold steel begins to rain down on him. He releases pulses of chakra from his palms and body to deflect and the redirect the weapons flying at him. He's not proficient enough a couple of times, and ends up with a few scrapes and bruises.

Just when he thinks it's over, he sees precise chakra strings fly from her fingers as Tenten twists in the air like a dragon, attaching themselves to each of the weapons on the ground.

Neji braces himself for the next wave of attack.

* * *

Neji's watches as Tenten lands and when she turns in disbelief, her weapons scattered among the arena as Temari of the Sand stands there with her fan on the ground, tilted. Tenten has never missed her target – unless she's training with him but then, she's not really actually aiming for anything vital either when she does.

Tenten has never been so sorely outmatched or outranked and he can see the frustration in her body. It's a bad match up, and fate has determined that she won't win this battle.

Tenten jumps into the air anyway, chakra strings appearing. She's not finished yet.

* * *

Neji walks into her room after his own match with Hinata. He's glad that Tenten wasn't there, to see his anger overtake him so completely and he sits next to the bed in silence.

He knows she's trying to ignore him.

'Who did you end up paired against?'

'Hinata-sama.'

'Your cousin?'

'Aaaah.'

Tenten doesn't know why he never likes talking about his family but she knows that they're a topic he doesn't like to talk.

'Congratulations then, Neji.'

Her voice is flat and he knows that she's disappointed beyond words at her defeat.

'This upcoming month. I will need to train.'

Her hand comes away from her eyes for the first time as she turns to look at him.

'There's a move I wish to perfect for the next round. I will be requiring your assistance.'

Tenten stares at him, with her chocolate brown eyes, startled. The demand is clear and his intentions are subtle. He doesn't find her weak. She is just beginning. And she's going to get stronger. He'll make sure that she grows with him.

'Lee!'

There's a cry and half of Team Gai turns at the cry that echos through the hallways.

* * *

Tenten is crying, when they hear the news and he's sitting there, silently brooding.

'Lee…. After all this… how… after all his hard effort and work.'

Tenten doesn't cry easily, but even Gai looks like he is refraining from crying out of grief.

Neji knows, Tenten's tears are one part for Lee and one part for herself, her own heart breaking as her dreams dissolve along with her tears and with Lee's dreams.

He frowns at this.

He can't do anything to help Lee. But he can make help Tenten to become incredible.

* * *

Neji's almost perfected the Kaiten as he leaned on his knees from fatigue. Tenten was breathing equally heavily as she supported herself against a tree.

'That was better than last time.'

She offered and he gave a small nod.

'Tenten. Let's have a break.'

'Ahhh sure.'

She nodded as she stretched to cool down, like the efficient and knowledgeable kunoichi that she is.

She sits next to him, eating from her bento while he meditates silently. His eyes opened as he made his decision.

'Neji?'

She questioned as he held onto her wrist in his hands, her chopsticks still held firmly between her fingers. She released her chopsticks and he placed her hand on his back. He can hear how flustered she's becoming when she stutters his name in question. He wondered briefly, if she might share more in common with his fangirls than their gender but let it slide. He trusted her. And this was how he was going to show her.

'Trace your finger up along my spine.'

They've known each other long enough that she does as she's told, running a finger up his vertebrae. He ignores the tingling sensation in the pit of his stomach and how his spine loosened at his touch.

'Stop.'

Her fingers are lightly pressed slightly below the back of his neck, above the first thoracic vertebrae. Hyuugas rarely, if ever, usually tell their teammates about this spot. They train and train until there is only a small kink in their blindspot that can be protected by Kaiten. Hyuugas take care of themselves.

But Neji trusts Tenten as a kunoichi and he trusts her to guard his blindspot.

* * *

He hears Tenten's movements before he sees Tenten.

He wakes up to four white walls and tubes in his arms. His eyes move and he catches a glimpse of Tenten, playing with… fans. He deduces that they're new weapons she's acquired as she moves the fans fluidly.

She notices him after a few minutes and her eyes widen.

'Neji!'

She reaches for a button but he tells her to stop and his ever faithful teammate listens to his wishes.

'How are you?'

'Did they manage to bring Uchiha back?'

'Mou! You almost died and that's the first thing you ask after three days of unconsciousness?'

'You were here for three days?'

She scowls at him.

'For the most part. I've been training with these new fans. Temari gave these to me. The nurses confiscate all my other weapons when I come to visit you. They're too scared I'd accidentally knock something over or cut an IV or something'

She says in an indignant and exasperated tone.

The corners of his lips turn up in amusement.

She moves to sit down as she glances at the back of his neck, where she now knows exactly where his blindspot is.

'I should've gone with you.'

* * *

He finds out that _later_ , Kidomaru is dead. Technically then, that is his first kill.

He sits there in silence as he contemplates this in the compound when his uncle approaches him.

He blinks but finds his voice to politely accept Hiashi-sama's offer to spar and train, to learn what he should've from his father but to learn about his heritage anyway.

* * *

He walks out to the entrance, after he's been informed that a girl is causing a ruckus outside the compound, looking for him.

Neji is composing his face to the coldest looking features possible when he comes across Tenten with a scowl on her face and her arms crossed.

He blinked and all traces of his hostilities vanished. This seemed to be enough for the guards to relax slightly and he nodded to Hyuuga Kou and Hyuuga Tori, who were on duty.

'It is fine. She's my teammate.'

He turns to head into the compound, thinking that she will follow when she speaks up from the entrance.

'You haven't shown up to our training spot for a week.'

Neji pauses before speaking, realising that she is upset. Both Hyuugas on duty exchange a look, everyone in the compound has either seen or heard that Hiashi is now sparring and training with Neji. In their minds, _Why would a Hyuuga, much less the Hyuuga prodigy deign to train with anyone else now?_

'If you come in we can talk.'

Tenten stands her ground stubbornly as she tilts her head to the side.

'I wasn't expecting you to thank me when I helped you train and _maybe_ I'd expected that we would stop after you achieved Kaiten but even I thought you'd have the _decency_ to let me know that we wouldn't be training together afterwards when it did happen.'

He stands there, while both Kou and Tori stand there at his undressing. There are words he'd like to say. Things he'd like to do to try and convey that he was, indeed apologetic or slightly regretful of his actions. But he wasn't going to do that in front of other Hyuugas. Certainly not Kou and Tori, the latter being a notorious gossiper.

'And if you didn't have the decency or gratitude, I would've thought that your _clan pride and manners_ would've at least compelled you to do so.'

Kou and Tori both stiffen at her words, taking her insult to heart but Tenten simply gives him one last glare as she turns.

'I'll see you next time there's a mission.'

* * *

'So… you wish to leave the compound today?'

'Hiashi-sama, I have been honoured by your mentoring and your help and I hope it continues. I believe we are on far greater terms now than we had been before.'

Hiashi blinks a little, neither he nor his nephew were people who spoke unnecessarily. The two men found it easier through their actions and sparring to communicate, than words. Yet Neji had probably just spoken more in the past minute than he usually did in a week.

'I have come to see the benefits of training and sparring with a range of opponents. It is helpful to be acquainted with fighting against different range shinobi with different techniques. No two enemies are ever the same and a shinobi should be prepared for all.'

Hiashi let the corner of his lips curl slightly. He'd heard of the abrasive and rash kunoichi who'd dared to insult the Hyuugas yesterday morning. Hyuuga Tori had raged at her insolence, infront of the Hyuuga's own entrance gates too apparently, while Neji had stood there silently allowing her. Hyuuga Tori had been most indignant and upset at her words and the gossip had spread fast.

'I see.'

'I hope that we can still spar in the future.'

'Of course, Neji. You raise some very valid points.'

As his nephew bowed and turned to leave, Hiashi stopped Neji to let him know that he had not taken any offence at all.

'Neji. Once you've come to an agreement with your partner, I will look forward to sparring soon and seeing the fruits of your experience at facing… varying opponents.'

Neji nodded his head in thanks and Hiashi watched in concealed amusement as his nephew left the room, wondering what sort of kunoichi had managed to gain so much respect, attention and loyalty from his nephew.

* * *

Neji stood, waiting as Tenten glanced at the object in his offered hand.

'Tenten. Do you not like it?'

The glimmer in her eyes clearly gave away her awe and excitement of the object but she remained still as she looked at him.

'Neji.'

She stated flatly as his gaze lingered on her.

'Are you trying to buy me off?'

He wasn't sure what to say as her eyes flickered over the object in his hands.

'I saw this as I was passing the weapons store and – '

'It's a hand crafted and hand forged, Damascus steel, Nidaime Hokage period twin swords. You did not just _come across this_ at the weapons store yesterday. And besides, Hiroko-san likes me and knows me well enough to hold onto rare weapons to show me when he comes across them and I was there _two days_ ago, when the new shipment had just come in.'

She was right on all accounts and she hadn't even picked up the twin blades to examine yet. He'd had to go into the Hyuuga vault and pull some very taut strings and glared rather fiercely at some of his more easily intimidated relatives to have been able to obtain these swords.

But Hyuuga Neji was never wrong and never misjudged. He held the items out again.

'I was hoping you would like to use these weapons and train them with me. The swords are also chakra swords and can help you to extend out chakra blades for surprise attacks if you concentrate well enough. Your chakra control needs work.'

Her eyes flickered over his face for a moment before she sighed and gave him a small smile.

'Very well. Let's go.'

She conceded as she took the weapons and they walked to his training grounds. He continued to admire the way she handled the blades as they walked.

Neji tries not to wince at the cut on his side when chakra extends from the blades he'd just gifted her as they spar. She runs towards him again, ferociously and he grimaced slightly. So she hadn't forgiven him just quite yet.

* * *

Author's Note:

NejiTen has always been my absolute favourite pairing in Naruto so to have Neji killed… is heartbreaking for me, because they don't get their happy ending and damnit, they deserved one! They far outrank any other pairing in the series. They make _sense_.

This was originally a one-shot. However, as I promised, i decided to rewrite bits and pieces, add more flesh to the bones of this story and it's just gotten too long to be a one-shot so this may have two or three chapters. I may come back and rework this chapter again so bear with me. But I promise it'll just keep getting better and better (that's the hope at least)

It annoyed me a little bit that the anime had Tenten seem so incapable and reliant on others when she's obviously so much better than that, but I confess, despite there being few, all the Neji-Tenten moments really made me squeal and just think, what if?

Comments and suggestions would be nice :)


	2. Chapter 2

**She's Not Weak**

* * *

His throat was _burning_ as he sat there, as still as he could, his Byakugan activated, hoping the awful sensation would pass _soon._

A glass was placed on his lips and he tasted the clear, cool, soothing water, trickling down his burning throat. His fingers finally managed to move as he brought his hands up to grab the glass that had been offered to him.

His fingers brushed against Tenten's calloused ones as he finished the entire cup and leant down, breathing heavily.

He wished there was a chance where he could brush his fingers against her worn fingers again, to feel the callouses and rough skin worn from the practice and dedication of slipping through and against cold steel.

He'd almost eat the revolting curry of life again if she'd offered him another glass of water. Just for the chance to feel her rough fingertips against his.

* * *

He and Lee both know they are running into a trap. Tenten wouldn't just _fall off a cliff_. Tenten is far too graceful and agile for that and he was sure any number of her weapons in her scroll would've been more than enough to catch her. He has seen Tenten fall from the peak of mountains and catch herself with grace. He's seen her soar and fly in the air while performing Shoshoryu. Tenten doesn't fall.

Tenten was certainly not a maid in distress.

He activated his Byakugan, running, hoping that whatever it was, that she was alright and cursing the fact that he wasn't there to protect her.

* * *

He's not so much surprised as he is indignant and slightly embarrassed that Tenten looks to be in better shape than him as she stands above him, telling him to gather his strength and to get up. He doesn't complain though, and he willingly allows her to feed him, opening his mouth compliantly as she spooned something into his mouth.

His hazy mind is flashed a warning, alerting him that _something was wrong_ but he opened his mouth again when Tenten raises the spoon to his mouth again, delivering another spoonful of whatever it is to his mouth, savouring the moment. The third spoonful does him in, as he recognised the spicy sensation on his tongue and reached his hands to his throat.

He feels himself faint again and he thinks,... he'd _trusted her to feed him, allowed him to feed her and this is what she feeds him…._ But more disturbingly…. _He'd probably eat it again if it was Tenten feeding him the accursed curry of life._

* * *

'Tenten.'

She turned after her weapons disappeared in a puff of smoke, her brown eyes locking onto his

'Hinata-sama is turning fourteen and Hiashi-sama will be leaving for a month with Hanabi-sama. Hiashi-sama has asked that I take his place and spar with Hinata-sama with one of our clan traditions of one thousand needles.'

'Ah, so you won't be coming to training for a month?'

'Yes.'

There's a pause, and then Neji understands the silent question. _Will you be coming back to train after a month?_

'Tenten. I expect you to be stronger when we spar afterwards. As will I be.'

Something lights up in Tenten's eyes and he inwardly bites down on the inside of his cheek at the feeling in her stomach as he turns around.

Not being able to train with Tenten for a month might've been a reason why he'd been so cold and unrelentless with Hinata the first few weeks of their training.

* * *

The second reason for Neji's frustration during the month is when he learns that Tenten has started spending more time around a certain lazy genius who'd been promoted to Chuunin.

As if it hadn't stung enough that _Nara Shikarmaru_ of all people, his junior who did not possess at all much power or strength, had been made Chuunin before he had been, he'd know heard through the grapevine that apparently, Tenten had been seen more and more frequently by his side.

He'd expected Tenten to train with Lee and Gai… maybe even Inuzuka Kiba – why she liked the ratty pet Inuzuka had by his side all the time, he would never understand - but Tenten had decided to begin spending her time with _that lazy ninja_ just didn't sit right for him.

Many in the Hyuuga had heard, having known Tenten through the gossip surrounding him. After all, not many females were capable of dressing down Hyuuga Neji of all people without repercussion and he knew Hyuuga Kou had seen the twin blades he'd taken out of the Hyuuga weaponry vault in Tenten's hands one night. And then of course, there'd been the fact that he'd lessened his own sparring and training time with Hiashi-sama, _the clan head_ so that he could continue to spar with Tenten. None of these facats or actions had not gone unnoticed nor unmentioned amongst the clan.

So he stalked through the streets, searching for any signs of Tenten or the lazy genius as he fought the impulse to punch something after Lee had cheerful told him told him.

 _'Ah! Our beautiful flower of youth has blossomed and is generally found in the companion of Shikamaru-kun these days! Let us hope that her energy and beautiful spirit will rub off on Shikarmaru-kun so that he too will find his youthful passion and enter into the springtime of youth!'_

He'd be damned if anything of Tenten's rubbed off on Shikamaru. Yamanaka Ino had indeed been taken aback when he stalked into the flowershop, demanding where her lazy teammate was before she grinned, as if understanding something.

 _Nosey kunoichi_. He thought. Tenten would never waste time in such idle things as village gossip and intrigue. He stormed towards the hills. Nara's apparent favourite place to cloudgaze. _Cloudgaze_. Really, what decent shinobi or sparring partner would _cloudgaze?_

* * *

'Tenten'

Neji calls out flatly when he sees what she is doing. It takes an enormous strain of Hyuuga patience to ensure that his Byakugan is not activated and he is barely able to control the impulse the Jyuken the Nara genius to next Sunday.

Tenten rolls over onto her stomach, still lying on the grass when her eyes flutter onto him.

'Neji?'

She was supposed to be training, not cloudgazing with the stupid lazy genius.

'What are you doing?'

'Cloudgazing.'

She stated simply, raising an eyebrow.

'I thought you were training Hinata?'

'She needed a break.'

He says curtly as he analyses the situation. If she doesn't train, her sharply honed skills would surely begin to diminish if she didn't train properly.

'Why are you not training?'

'I am!'

She rebutted with an eye raised as Neji raised a delicate eyebrow and swept over the scene in front of him once again. He was not impressed.

'Well, you know, Gai-sensei was reminding me how I needed to improve both my physical and my spiritual energy in order to increase my chakra levels. And I've been going mountain climbing with Gai-sensei to improve my physical energy –'

Neji briefly nodded at the sound of that. He'd certainly welcome the idea of her continuing to train with Gai-sensei.

' –and, Shikarmaru's helping me hone my spiritual energy. I don't really enjoy meditation as well as you do but cloud gazing works just as well apparently.'

He _didn't_ like the sound of that. And how on earth did cloud-gazing improve one's spiritual energy? It was an absurd concept to him.

* * *

Shikamaru shifts at the pulses of killing intent being sent towards him.

 _Troublesome_.

He watched as Tenten continued to talk, while the Hyuuga simply seemed to become more and more agitated.

'-and we're playing Shougi, so I'm improving on strategic and tactical analysis as well!'

Shikamaru _liked_ Tenten. She was one of the few girls his age in the village who didn't talk or squeal in an annoyingly high pitched voice. She didn't nag and she didn't gush over the latest cute guy in the village or gossip about the newest couples that had formed.

No, she simply made nice, ordinary conversation over their Shougi games and made an interesting, if not amusing cloud-gazing companion. Her discussions on the pros and cons of weapons, her opinions and the information she imparted to him gave them a mutual quid-pro-quo relationship whereby she increased her strategic and tactical analysis and he learned more about weapons that he could either utilise or identify in the future.

It had been a great, blossoming friendship up until the Hyuuga prodigy had decided to storm into his favourite area and began to promise him one hundred and one painful ways to die.

Glancing sidewards at his smiling, cheerful brunette companion, he sighed. He certainly didn't want to be at the end of Hyuuga's Neji rage. He could see now why partially, the lone female member of Team Gai had been so fiercely guarded by the Hyuuga.

 _How troublesome._

* * *

The week he returns to training with Tenten, he comes to learn that her chakra levels had indeed, improved.

He's surprised by her incorporation of time-space and summoning jutsus in the fight and jumps from the fire that she releases from her scroll rather than an arsenal of weapons.

That friday, he does something completely new and asks her if she wants to go the tea house for some tea. Later on, it becomes a ritual for them at the end of their week.

* * *

Tenten doesn't falter as they run the three days to Sunagakure, and is right behind him and Lee the entire time.

When the fight breaks out in the dining room, she's sighing as she eyes the food on the floor. Lee yells out with good intentions but is soon hit afterwards. Tenten's attentions turn to Lee, as they always do when a teammate is attacked.

There's a whistling sound and he scoffs at the slow speed of the three kunai heading Tenten's way. She's already slipped three senbon from the hem of her white sleeves in between her fingers and Tenten is ready to deflect the kunai when he steps on the table leg, flipping the table top up as the three kunai dully hit into the wooden bench.

Tenten turns to Neji, annoyance flashing in her eyes.

'Neji!'

'Wait.'

He orders her as he turns on her Byakugan.

He knows that she is more than capable of protecting herself. But he still wants to be able to do what he can. Wants to protect her, because he doesn't like seeing her hurt. He turns to focus on the fight, pushing the rest of his thoughts away for another time.

* * *

'I'm not convenient!'

Tenten hissed as Neji stared and Lee blinked.

'What's the problem?'

Lee asked and Neji gave a glance to Tenten's fading form and he shrugged.

'I don't know.'

It becomes like this the remained of the second half of the exams and Neji doesn't understand _why._

Because everytime convenient is mentioned, Tenten hisses like a cat at water and he doesn't understand, _why she moves away from him_ when he moves in front to protect her and take on the opposing genins. Determined and he can't stop her when she goes to take on the purple-haired opponent as she Tenten calls out in an angry voice.

'You're not the only who can use space-time jutsus'

He's never seen her so fierce or angry.

* * *

Neji notices before anyone else when Tenten falters in the water sphere. He _knows_ she's at her limit

And the thing is, Tenten _thrives_ when she's pushed to her limit. She always overcomes them. He watches as her hand reaches into her weapons holster. He catches a glimpse of an exploding tag and he _knows_ what she plans to do.

He'd yell at her if she could hear him, the stupid, reckless girl who's going to try and break their water prisons with an explosion tag. He activates his Byakugan. eyes flickering everywhere as he searched for a weak point. He finds it in record time. He breaks Lee's prison first before he turns to Tenten's prison, letting Lee deal with the clone while he catches her and holds onto her.

'Are you ok, Tenten?'

He murmurs as she leans on him, wrapping an arm around her waist to keep her steady.

'Emmmm.'

She murmurs as she nods and thanks him.

His byakugan is still activated and he has to concentrate really hard at her face to make sure that his eyes don't lower, that he doesn't _stare_ ant her now translucent white shirt that is sticking onto her skin.

He really doesn't want to let her go when she stands up. She's something else entirely to him and he doesn't want to ever let her go.

* * *

He's not happy at the idea of being separated from Tenten when she's placed in Kitsuchi's Unit 2 while she's placed in Darui's Unit. He's glad he can watch over Hinata but he'd rather have worked with Tenten. He frowns at their assignments because everyone knows how well the two of them work together.

'Watch over her.'

He tells his uncle, who raises a questioning brow.

'You do not think she can protect herself?'

'No, I…'

But Hiashi understands, as he watches Neji's gaze on Tenten as he watches his teammate since his genin days.

'I doubt she will need help but I will keep an eye on her.'

Hiashi sagely acquiesces as he heads off. Neji nods and then turns to farewell Tenten. He tells her to be careful as they leave and then raises a hand of acknowledgement as she turns to follow her Unit.

'I know, I know, you better survive this too, Hyuuga Neji!'

The words are light-hearted but there's also an underlying tone of sincerity and of warning. That if he doesn't come back alive, she'd either resurrect him for her own satisfaction of killing him or that she'd follow him to the depths of hell to torture him for all eternity. Because that is the sort of person Tenten is. Unrelentingly strong and determined.

* * *

He gets brief, sparse moments with Tenten, none enough for either to really say anything of substance and then, in the middle of the battle, he sees Hinata resolutely turn her back as she stretches her arms out and he knows he can't just stand there and watch as his baby cousin – even if she is all grown up – become impaled by wood so he throws himself in between and falls, graceless onto the ground.

He'd never thought that he'd ever be impaled on anything but the cold steel of Tenten's weapons but as Naruto lies there, holding onto him and screaming for a medic, he already knows it's too late.

 _Tenten_ He thinks and berates himself for all the time they'd had and lost. All the gestures made yet words unspoken.

 _Tenten's going to be pissed beyond words when she realises._ He think as he glances sideward to catch his cousin's watery eyes, _she knows nothing else can be done_. In fact, dying might be a better fate to face than Tenten's rage and the wrathful bo-staff she would be wielding when she finds out, he thinks sardonically.

He's grateful, he realises that he's had the freedom to choose to die to protect his friends and his village. He's grateful, he think selfishly, that he won't have to see Tenten die, impaled because he has taken this burden rather than allowing her, or Hinata, or Naruto to die.

He's grateful he could die in their place, so that they could live. He can't see Tenten, he knows that she's around _somewhere in this battlefield_ alive. Because Tenten is strong like that and has the will of fire.

'You hold… more than one life in your hands.'

He whispers to Naruto as he thinks of Hinata, of his clan, his family, his team, _Tenten_

He thinks of what could've been and doesn't want to leave her behind. But then it'd be exactly the opposite of what he wanted if he took her along with him now.

He knows her feelings. Knows them as well as his own and curses all the times where he thought there'd be more time, where there'd be more tomorrows. For a shinobi, he was utterly pathetic when it came to her. He knows that this will hurt her. And he's never wanted to hurt her, only protect her because she was _important_ to him.

Lee will look after her, he tells himself as he thinks of her chocolate eyes and her chestnut locks as his vision darkens and he feels the cursed seal on his forehead warm. Lee and Gai-sensei will look after her and Tenten will recover. Tenten would be alright.

Because Tenten wasn't weak. She'd never been weak.

* * *

Author's Note:

The end... or is it?


End file.
